LAKE LOUISE
Leaving Banff we drove 58km west
of Banff to Lake Louise via Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy
1A). This route is more leisurely and scenic than the Trans-Canada Highway
which runs parallel and you are almost guaranteed to see some ‘Wild-Life’, en-route
we saw an elk.
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An Elk
We had a ‘leg stretch’ at Baker Creek www.bakercreek.com where there were some welcoming log cabins, set in beautiful scenery with a small stream running through the camp-site.
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Baker Creek's Friendly bears!
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Baker Creek's Friendly bear!
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Baker Creek's Friendly bears!
We had booked into the Lake
Louise Inn and had expected ‘room-only’ but we were very pleasantly surprised
to find it was a full self-catering facility with complimentary breakfast.
After unpacking, it was realised Bob’s beloved and expensive Tilley hat was
missing - more later!
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The Lake Louise Inn
We decided to make the best of the day’s good weather,
as the weather forecast was not looking too good for the next day and drove
straight to visit Lake Louise.
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Lake Louise
There were fantastic views of the snow covered Rockies, with the picturesque, turquoise blue Lake Louise in the foreground - Stoney Indians called it the ‘Lake of Little Fishes’
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Lake Louise
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Lake Louise
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Lake Louise
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Lake Louise
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Closed for Staff training on Lake Louise
We were hoping to hire a canoe
but the hire store was closed for staff training and so we went for an easy
stroll along the lake side enjoying the stunning scenery.
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Lake Louise
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The turquoise blue waters of Lake Louise
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(Click on pictures and blue links) Fairmount Chateaux at Lake Louise
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The following day we travelled
20min from Lake Louise Village to Moraine Lake. In
Canada any bear warnings must be
taken seriously; when Grizzly bears are in the area, there are hiking
restrictions – hikers should be a group of 4 or more and stay close together
for safety!
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Mountains at Moraine Lake
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Mountains at Moraine Lake
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Rock and scree on mountains at Moraine Lake
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Moraine Lake
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Moraine Lake
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Sign post to Constellation Lake
After climbing to a popular viewing point we descended and started a walk to Constellation Lakes but it was far too rocky and without a map we decide to do the sensible thing and turned back.
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Starting to change mind!
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Moraine Lake
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Moraine Lake
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Path at Moraine Lake
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Moraine Lake
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Inshuk at Moraine Lake
The mysterious stone figures known as inuksuit can
be found throughout the circumpolar world. Inukshuk, the singular of inuksuit, means "in the
likeness of a human" in the Inuit language. They are monuments made of
unworked stones that are used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The
traditional meaning of the inukshuk is "Someone was here" or
"You are on the right path." www.inukshukgallery.com/inukshuk
Back at the hotel we had a swim
in the hotel pool.The hotel receptionist kindly telephoned our previous hotel in
Banff where it was confirmed the Tilley hat was there waiting. That evening we
drove back to Banff picked up the hat and had another scrummy meal in Nourish.
On the way home along the Bow Valley Parkway we saw our first black bear and a
close up of an elk.
Our
third day was spent at another lake called Peyto Lake, pronounced Pee-toe. It
was named for Bill Peyto, an
early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area. The
lake is fed by the Peyto Creek,
which drains water from the Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield),
and flows into the Mistaya River.
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Grizzly Bear
On the way to the lake we spotted at 11.20am, a grizzly bear which caused a ‘Bear jam’ i.e. traffic jam, with some people getting out of their cars and getting a little too close to the bear – it’s not called ‘Wild life’ for nothing!
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Grizzly Bear
Earlier that morning we had spoken to a waiter, explaining we were going to Peyto Lake; he was concerned that the route may not be passable because of snow. Some side- roads were closed due to the amount of snowfall but we made it without any mishaps.
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Car Park
The car park was relatively clear, but the walk to
view the lake was covered in snow.
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Interpretation board for Peyto Lake
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Path to for Peyto Lake
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Path to for Peyto Lake
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Path to for Peyto Lake
Once
again the lake was bright turquoise and a dirty, grey glacier could be seen at
the head of the lake.
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Grey glacier on left of the turquoise waters of Peyto Lake
During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise colour.
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Dirty, grey glacier of Peyto Lake
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Peyto Lake - Can you see the Wolf's head?
Because of its bright colour and the shape of the lake which is similar to a wolf's head, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books.
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